Get Back Up
by KeeponReadin
Summary: 18 month old Annabeth Chase loses everything in minutes. Her family and home are demolished leaving Annabeth alone and at the mercy of the world. This story follows the lives of Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, and Thalia Grace as they battle the toughest monster out of all time: life. Rated T for mild language.
1. Chapter 1

**It's KeeponReadin just going to say a few things before we get this story started:  
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**1) I own only the characters I make up and the plot yadda, yadda, yadda, Rick Riordan is a boss, etc.**

**2) This story was just something I randomly cooked up in my head**

**3) Sorry it's taking me a while on the other stories! I just want them to be awesome!**

**4) What I mean by #3 is... I've got "Writer's Block" (They will be awesome though!)  
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**5) Alright I'm done boring you... read!  
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**Get Back Up:**

**Chapter 1:**

Hunger, pain, devastation, destruction, sorrow, anger, want, need, and loneliness were the feelings I experienced that night. I may have only been 18 months old but it didn't take a genius to realize I was all alone. No one could take away the images that were forever ingrained in my memory. Watching my family, my home, and all that I had ever known disappear within minutes leaving me the lone survivor. I lay unconscious among the wreckage and dead, broken bodies that used to be my family. They told me I laid there for a day. They told me my Mommy and Daddy would never come back. They told me I was lucky to be alive. I disagree; it should've been me. Joyce doesn't take that crap though. Joyce was the police officer that found me the day after I lost everything. She took me in and took care of me, she was my lifeline, the only reason I'm alive today is because of her. Joyce says I'm not hers and I can't stay with her forever. She says they'll come and take me to my new home… wherever that is. She doesn't like to talk about that though, Joyce likes to focus on the present. She says dwelling in the past does no good, especially when your past is crappy.

Most nights I don't go to sleep. Most nights sleep never comes, I just lay on my bed and think, my mind is one of my only refuges. When I was younger I was afraid of sleep, every time I went to sleep I would always wake up crying and screaming begging someone to put me out of my misery. Joyce never allowed me to quit, she told me I'd be dead if I were a quitter and that she'd kill me if I decided to be one now. I sighed and rolled over; even at the age of 2 I knew that tomorrow was the day I had to leave Joyce. I could tell by the way her shoulders sagged when she had talked on the phone earlier. Despite being hard-headed and strict Joyce was always in a relatively good mood; she was tall with long brown hair that was always up in a high pony tail, and chocolate eyes that could see into your soul and automatically tell whether or not you'd been in the cookie jar. But when in her police officer's uniform she radiated pure, indisputable power.

Every day that I came home after day care Joyce would tell me a little more about my past and my family. Some days I had to nearly drag it out of her but, it was pretty easy because she always said I had her wrapped around my pinky finger. She told me that a storm had destroyed my town and that I was one of only ten survivors. She told me she literally had to dig me out of the rubble with the help of four other police officers; when they first found me one of the officers said I must've been "kin to God". She also told me about my family: "Your Father, Fred, was a college professor…"

"What about my Mommy?"

"I-I don't have any records on your mother…"

"But, Joyce, I remember her."

"Annabeth, I'm sorry, I've looked everywhere but there are no records _anywhere _that say anything about your mother. The only proof we have of her is you."

I didn't know how or when I would find out, but I was determined to know who my Mom was. She had to be someone, and one day I'd find her and-

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

"Annabeth," Joyce whispered while poking her head in through the slightly opened door.

I sat up, looked Joyce in the eye and did what any stubborn 2 year old would do. "No."

Joyce crossed her arms and responded as any stubborn police officer would. "Yes or I'll taze you."

"But, Joyce I don't want to go." I sighed and gave her my best puppy dog eyes.

"And I don't want you to go, but nobody ever asks my opinion now do they?" She took two swift steps and pulled me up out of my bed and into her arms. I looked into her eyes and she looked into mine, we had a silent conversation. A lone tear came to her eye but disappeared as quickly as it had come.

We rode silently to the San Francisco Police Post where a shiny, black car awaited us. Joyce got me out of my car seat, hugged me one last time and handed me a small silver bracelet with Joyce's favorite saying engraved on it: 'Get Back Up'. I looked back up at her and motioned for her to lean down. I whispered in her ear, "Who said I was ever down?"

Joyce smiled and whispered back, "Wise ass."

That was the last thing Joyce ever said to me. She was the closest thing to a parent I ever had because the next 13 years would be absolute hell.

**How was it? Review please!  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Chapter 2 everyone! First things first though:**

**1) I don't own PJO**

**2) This smiley face is for all you people who read Chapter 1: |:P**

**3) Rocking the uni-brow... okay, I'm done.  
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**Chapter 2:**

"Thalia, wake up the new girl we're going to be late!" _Second verse same as the first…_ I thought as I was pushed out of bed by some girl named "Thalia". I scrambled to my feet and began the daily routine of getting ready for school. This was the 9th orphanage I'd been to in the past 13 years. I stayed at the first one for five years before realizing I'd never get out so I ran away when I was 7. The past eight years have been pretty much "rinse and repeat" meaning I ran away from every one until I was eventually caught and shipped off to yet another. I hated running, yet it was the only thing that kept me from going completely insane.

After quickly throwing on some jeans, a t-shirt, shoes, and a jacket I tied my untamable, curly, blonde hair into a pony tail and jogged downstairs to catch up with the rest. I had almost made it out the door when a man in a wheel chair stopped me. "Excuse me, Miss." He said looking up at me, "Are you Annabeth Chase?"

I nodded my head, "Yes."

"I need to speak with you for a moment." The man wheeled his wheel chair into a small office and behind a desk where he gestured to a chair in front of the desk. I sat down in the chair and looked at him questioningly. He cleared his throat and shuffled through some papers on his desk. He studied the papers and raised his eyebrows as if he had just read something very interesting. "Well, you certainly don't have the best record…" I mentally rolled my eyes. "Miss Chase you are extremely intelligent. Intelligent people don't run away for dumb reasons. Care to elaborate?"

I noticed a small engraving on his desk that read 'Mr. Brunner'. "Mr. Brunner you're in a wheel chair. People in wheel chairs can't walk. Care to elaborate?"

Mr. Brunner chuckled. "Don't be late for school; we'll finish our talk afterwards." I stood up and pushed open the double doors that led to the busy sidewalks and streets of New York. I breathed in the city air and began my long journey to Goode High School. _Nothing like the smell of carbon monoxide in the morning! _

As I stepped into Goode High School I was immediately overcome with the urge to turn and run as far away as I could. I took a deep breath and almost stepped out into the sea of high school kids when a hand grabbed me and pulled me back. "The office is _not _that way," said a tall girl with long jet black hair and stunningly blue eyes.

I immediately recognized her as the girl who had pushed me out of bed this morning: Thalia. "Then which way is the office?"

Thalia used her finger to point in the opposite direction of where I had almost gone. "_That _way; see if you had gone the other way you would've died a horribly painful death and never been heard from again." Thalia stated all this like it was written in the Constitution.

I thought for a moment, "Sounds like fun… anyways I'd better get to the office."

"Your on your own there, I'm in that place enough." Thalia gave me a fiendish grin and she charged off into the swarm of teenagers. I made my way through the crowded hallways to the office where the secretary sat behind her desk reading something on a computer screen.

"New here?" She asked not looking up from the screen.

"Yeah… have there been a lot of new students enroll this year?" I asked puzzled that she already knew why I was here.

"Yes; here is your class schedule," she handed me a paper. "Now, I need to find a student to show you to-,"

"Jackson get out of my office!" The door to the Principal's office slammed and a tall boy with messy black hair and sea green eyes stumbled out of it. He wore a lopsided grin that spread across his face and his eyes were lit up with mischief.

The secretary shook her head, "What did you do this time, Percy?"

He laughed, "I don't look that guilty do I?"

"Percy I don't have time for you're… actually, I think you could help me." Mrs. Day (helps to be observant) said looking away from her computer screen for a moment. The boy named Percy looked at me then looked at Mrs. Day and raised his eyebrow questioningly. "Percy Jackson this is Annabeth Chase, she is new here and I need you to at least pretend to be a gentlemen for one day and show her to her classes."

Percy put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, "Sure… does that mean I don't have detention today?"

Mrs. Day sighed, "Fine. But I'm just doing this because I owe Paul."

"Yes!" Percy jumped up in the air like he'd just won the lottery. Mrs. Day rolled her eyes and told us to get out of here and get to class. First we went to Percy's locker because he said he needed to get his stuff. "Annabeth what's your locker number?"

I checked the paper Mrs. Day had given me. "219,"

"Cool, that's three lockers down from mine," he said it still trying to open his locker. I opened my locker with the combination in less than 30 seconds while Percy was still struggling with his. I leaned against the locker next to his and watched him struggle with his locker for a couple more minutes. I smiled and rolled my eyes at him. "Enjoying yourself?" Percy was frustrated and made a face sort of like a 5 year old.

"Here, move over and tell me the combination," I finally gave in and decided to help him. I opened his locker in no time and gave him my I-know-absolutely-everything-about-everything smile, "See? That wasn't so hard."

He frowned playfully, "Shut up, I could've done it myself." I rolled my eyes at him and waited for him to get his stuff so we could go to class.

When he finally shut his locker I looked at him with mock worry, "Are you sure you won't get me lost in this school?"

"Po-," Percy began his response but he was slammed into the lockers by what looked like a gorilla.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the infamous _Perseus _Jackson," the gorilla's hands had closed around Percy's throat so all he could do was sputter and make choking noises. For some reason this _really _made me mad. I was furious, I couldn't contain myself I was so angry.

"Hey, dumb ass, your choking my friend," both Percy and the gorilla choking him looked at me like I was about to sprout wings and fly away. Percy took advantage of the distraction I had caused and stomped the gorilla's foot causing him to release Percy who was beginning to turn a light shade of purple. Percy coughed violently and the gorilla lunged again but I threw myself in the way and gave him my I'll-cut-you-up-into-little-pieces-and-eat-you death glare that made him stop dead in his tracks. He raised his hands up in surrender and shouldered his way through the crowd that had formed around us. I turned to Percy, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Percy scratched the back of his head and smiled at me, "Remind me to never piss you off."

**Review and tell me what you think! ****Pretty please?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here it is the long awaited Chapter 3... first things first though:**

**1) I don't own Percy Jackson or anything Rick Riordan inspired**

**2) Thanks to everyone who reviews and reads my stories you guys are amazing!**

**3) Sorry it took so long for me to write this... it's been a hectic week for me**

**4) And KeeponReadin said let there be Chapter 3!  
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**Chapter 3:**

"Psst, Wise Girl!" Percy half whispered half yelled at me from his seat on the other side of the room.

I made eye contact with Percy and mouthed, _Please shut up._

He grinned mischievously and mouthed, _Nope sorry._

I rolled my eyes, _why me? _Not even five minutes ago he had just gotten us separated and now he was at it again. It's funny… I only met him and Thalia this morning but now it feels like I've known them forever. Thalia rolled her eyes as Percy tried every way in the world to get my attention. _Ten more minutes, Annabeth. _I must've looked like I wanted to commit suicide. Between ignoring Percy and Mrs. Newton's lecture about the weighted grading system, I didn't know how much longer I was going to last. I decided to make the best out of the last few minutes and completely zoned out. I thought about how Percy and I had automatically connected and even from the very beginning of the day I felt like he was an old friend when I had just met him. I remembered the rage that I'd felt when he was jumped by that… forget it he doesn't deserve my curse words. I can't help but think about his crazy lopsided grin and the way his sea green eyes sparkle when he gets an idea… wait what? Never mind this is stupid Percy's my friend, at this point thinking anything beyond that would be highly illogical.

I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts and gather my things as the bell rang and Mrs. Newton dismissed us. Someone behind me tapped me on the shoulder causing me to jump. I turned to see Thalia laughing her head off.

"You should've seen your face!" Thalia choked out through fits of laughter.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, "Ha-ha, very funny Thalia." I walked with Thalia out the double doors and into the parking lot where a bunch of guys were arguing.

"... Guys I'm not lying! Jason fell flat on his face! It was hilarious!" A boy with shaggy black hair and dark eyes strained his laughter as he told the rest of them.

"Damn it, Nico! That did _not _happen!" Another boy with blonde hair and Thalia's blue eyes confronted the boy who must've been Nico.

Nico crossed his arms and gave the boy that must've been Jason a smug look, "That's not what Piper said…"

Jason lunged at Nico but a lanky boy with wispy brown hair and a faint goatee intercepted him. "Why can't we all just get along?"

"Yeah boys, didn't I tell you to play nice?" Thalia said wagging her finger at both Nico and Jason.

Nico put on an innocent smile, "Why Thalia we were just talking about how great of a mom you are. In fact, I believe your parenting skills are getting better every day."

"Nico," Thalia snarled.

"Yes, Mother dear?" Nico's voice was coated in sarcasm as he continued his smile of mock innocence.

"Shut up." Thalia pinched Nico's cheek in a mock motherly way.

He rubbed his cheek, "Jeez Mom ever heard of child abuse?"

"Nope, laws don't apply to me," She stuck her nose up in the air like she was the president of the United States.

"Ms. President, I deem your actions unconstitutional," I poked Thalia in the shoulder to prove my superiority.

"How did you get elected, Thalia? Not to be rude, but I sure as hell didn't vote for you." The boy with the wispy brown hair smiled jokingly.

Thalia rolled her eyes, "Alright, that's it I didn't want to have to do this but I'm demoting you to _Second_ Best Friend, Annabeth. Grover I don't think I can demote you any farther."

Grover sniffled and clutched his heart in mock hurt, "T-that really hurts Thalia."

I decided to play along and wiped away a fake tear, "Have a heart, Thalia."

"Ha, she's got one she just doesn't use it." I was sure Thalia was going to kill Nico for that one.

Thalia crossed her arms, "I'm not the only one." Nico's smile faded into a frown.

"Catch you guys later," He said in a small voice and began his trek home. Just as Nico had left a girl with chocolate brown hair and blue- no brown eyes joined the group.

"Hey guys!" She said warmly which seemed to automatically put some sort of happy spell on us. "Wait…." Her warm smile faltered, "Where's Nico?"

Grover made eye contact with her. "Piper," He motioned her over with his hand and whispered something to her that I couldn't hear. When he was finished Piper gave Thalia a steely glare. Thalia looked away and Piper shook her head in… shame? I made eye contact with Thalia and raised my eyebrow. She gave me a tell-you-later glance and we looked over to see Piper wave at us then take off in the direction Nico had gone.

"Oh crap guys I almost forgot! Grover, Jason this is Annabeth." Thalia introduced me to what turned out to be her younger brother and her old friend who looked somewhat familiar to me.

Grover smiled and held out his hand, "Nice to meet you." I shook his hand and returned his kind smile.

Jason held out his hand, "Annabeth, right?" I nodded my head and shook his hand too. "Thalia is she…?" Thalia nodded her head before he could finish, "Oh ok… where's Percy?"

Thalia turned around to look at the school, "I'm not sure… he was in our last class…."

I nodded my head, "He could be anywhere by now."

"Now why would I be "anywhere" when I could be right here with my three best friends and Jason?" Percy appeared behind Thalia and Grover and put his arms around them.

"What is this? Pick on Jason week?" Jason held his arms out above his head in outrage.

"Aw, does somebody need a hug?" Percy mimicked the kind of voice you would use with a baby and held out his arms to Jason.

"From you? No thanks." Jason made a face and put his hands out in front of his face.

"Sorry, I forgot you only take Piper's hugs," Percy gave Jason a taunting grin. Jason turned tomato red and stared at his shoes. "What are you guys waiting for? I'm ready to get out of this place!" Percy decided to break the silence.

"We were waiting on you," Thalia poked him to emphasize her point.

"Well, I'm here let's get going," Percy looked kind of strained.

"Got somewhere to be, Seaweed Brain?" I crossed my arms and gave him a smirk.

He returned my smile but I could tell it was a hollow one, "Nah, just tired." I gave him a worried look and he turned his head. _Something's definitely wrong here._

**Thanks for reading don't forget to review!**_  
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	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone, it's me again! Sorry I haven't updated this story in a really _long_ time!**

**1) I don't own PJatO**

**2) Hm... it seems as though I have nothing more to say...**

**3) To recap: sorry, depression (1.) and... READ!**

**Chapter 4:**

Thalia and Percy were oddly silent on the way home as I walked between them. I looked from Thalia to Percy and then repeated the process a couple of times. They both wore grim expressions and were obviously deep in thought. Percy bit his lip and looked like he wanted to punch something while Thalia just tried to look at anything besides Percy. Finally, he looked from Thalia to me where his eyes lingered for a millisecond and then he quickly returned his gaze back to Thalia, "She's gotten worse."

Thalia nodded her head in sad understanding, "I know, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Percy, don't worry about it she'll get better soon, I promise." After she said that he gave her a long, doubtful look. "Think on the bright side, Perce. Least you got a momma. I only know two things about my mom: she drank way too much and she hooked up with an asshole, resulting in me and Jason." I looked at the sidewalk awkwardly, not wanting to talk about my mom. But Thalia just had to drag me in, "How about your mom, Annabeth?"

"Dead," I said it in a small choked voice, "killed in a storm when I was 18 months old. I was the only survivor."

I stopped walking and just looked at the sidewalk, inspecting each molecule of concrete. Percy stopped beside me and put his arm reassuringly on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Annabeth," his sea green eyes that normally swirled and twisted like the ocean, were still and full of genuine remorse. _Wow, _I thought, _someone who actually cares. _I just looked at him and he looked at me. I didn't have any words and I'm pretty sure he didn't have any either.

Thalia stepped in between us and muttered something to Percy about picking something up at his house.

One corner of his mouth twitched up slightly in a sort of half-smile, "Why do you leave everything at my house?"

She shrugged, "Don't know."

"Alright then it looks like we'll be stopping at my apartment before you guys head home. Is that okay with you, Annabeth?" I nodded a little despondently because I was thinking hard about something.

"Percy, I think you mean: 'Before you guys head to hell.'" She corrected him. I agreed with her. I didn't like orphanages, I didn't like "Homes for Girls", I didn't like swarms of new people I'd never seen before in my life, and I especially didn't like said new people acting like they cared about me. Because they couldn't, they didn't know what I'd been through. They didn't know that the reason I stayed quiet and read my books in the corner was because I was afraid. I was scared that anyone I got close to would make me leave. I was scared that they, too, would seal me up in a shiny black car and ship me off. I don't blame Joyce for that. I couldn't possibly resent the closest thing to a mother I'd ever had. When I focused my brain on the present I noticed myself fiddling with my silver bracelet that, surprisingly still fit. Percy looked over to see what I was doing.

He gestured towards my bracelet, "What's that?"

I looked up at him, "Long story short, it's a gift from a gift from my mom." To me, Joyce was mom's way of saying (even in death) that she would always find a way to take care of her little girl. He put his hands in his pockets and smiled thoughtfully as we walked to the entrance of his apartment. Once in the lobby he greeted the man at the front desk and proceeded to the elevator.

Thalia took one long look at the elevator and said, "Uh, you guys go on ahead, I'll take the stairs."

Percy dejectedly mumbled, "Mhmm." He still looked deep in thought. _The Seaweed Brain is still probably trying to figure out what I meant, _I thought as I watched the little wheels in his head turn (very, very slowly might I add). I laughed a little and he must've heard me because he snapped back to reality and gave me a funny look. "Was I drooling?"

"No but I wouldn't have been shocked if you had," I laughed a little more at his hurt expression. We stood in a comfortable silence for a while before I remembered, "Percy, we need to get in the elevator. If Thalia is waiting for us too long she'll get pissed and we'll never hear the end of it."

"Whoa, even pissier than normal?"

"Yes, her level of piss will rise at an alarming rate which would most likely cause certain death upon exposure to such amounts of piss."

"Then come on!" He grabbed my wrist and hauled me into the elevator. Once inside he quickly jabbed the floor number button and waited impatiently for the doors to close while muttering, "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." I rolled my eyes at him and he smiled, which caused me to drop my look of annoyance and automatically return his smile. "You'll like my mom, she's great."

I smiled trying to picture his mom, "She'd have to be great to live with you for fifteen years without killing you."

He raised an eyebrow and tried to look questioning but failed due to the big grin on his face, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're ridiculously annoying," I folded my arms and sent him a smirk of superiority.

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes, "Whatever, Brainiac."

"Booger Eyes."

He grinned smugly, "Ha, that doesn't make any- oh…"

I burst out laughing and he couldn't help but join in. I managed to say between laughs, "Let's… hope… you… got… your… smarts… from… your dad."

He stopped laughing the same time I did but his smile faded into more of a thoughtful frown, "Never really knew the guy."

I stared into his "boogery" green eyes, "I'm sorry, Percy, I didn't know."

"It's cool, plus he was probably an ass just like Thalia's dad. He left me and my mom as soon as I was born." Even though we were alone on the elevator Percy bent over a little and whispered in my ear, "After Thalia's dad left, her mom pretty much went crazy and threw her out on the street. No family, no nothing. We took her in and let her stay with us for a while but eventually social services came and got her." His hot breath tickled my ear and made me shiver a little causing him to ask, "You cold?"

"No I'm good… where is Jason staying?"

"With their mom."

"So she disowned Thalia but not Jason? What sense does that make?"

"None at all, but it hurt Thalia more than she lets on. Don't tell her I said any of this, I just figured you needed to know."

"Don't worry Percy," I gave him a reassuring look to which he responded with that contagious smile of his and a nod. I smiled on the outside but as the elevator door opened I thought about Thalia. _Speak of the devil… _When the door opened Thalia was leaning against the wall opposite the elevators sporting an impatient frown.

"What took you guys so long?" She asked while stepping towards us. Percy shrugged and led us down the hall to an apartment labeled, D10 **(A/N: Google didn't know his apartment number either so I just made one up)**. When we reached the door Percy stood in front of it while Thalia and I stood by the sides waiting for him to open it. I looked over at him to see that instead of looking for the key he was deep in thought. I turned my gaze to Thalia and shrugged like, _What should we do? _Thalia smiled a little (she was probably thinking about how dumb Percy was), rolled her eyes and cleared her throat bringing Percy back to Earth.

"Oh, key, right…" he mumbled and then began to dig through his pockets. He took on a confused look as he rifled through his backpack and then double checked his pockets. "Uh, I can't, uh find it…" Thalia and I mentally face palmed ourselves.

"Did you check your jacket?" I rolled my eyes (the eye rolling thing is starting to become a routine).

"Yeah, of course I- no wait…" Thalia and I chuckled while Percy dug through his jacket pockets. He finally pulled out a small silver key and everyone applauded. But before he opened the door he looked over to me and put his free arm on my shoulder, "Annabeth, you're a genius."

"Percy, I swear, if you don't open the damn door I'm going to crush your skull and what little brain you have into a billion little pieces and send them to your mommy in the mail," Thalia said it in such a menacing tone that I began to worry for Percy's safety.

He smiled, "Alright, alright, alright, I was just joking around."

"Wait, so I'm not a genius?" I already knew that I was a genius; I just wanted to further confuse Percy and piss Thalia off a little more.

He scratched his head in confusion (see? What did I tell you?). "Um… yeah you are a genius! I wasn't talking about- I mean I-,"

Thalia gave me the shut-up-and-maybe-I-won't-kill-you-today death glare and I gave her an innocent smirk. "Could you two stop flirting long enough to open the door? I let the elevator thing slide but this is just ridiculous," now it was her turn to smirk.

Both Percy and I turned a shade of red that would make tomatoes jealous as the door swung open to reveal a tall woman with kind blue eyes and long, straight brown hair. She wore an apron that bore several blue stains and she smiled a motherly smile as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Paul, it's just Percy!" She shouted over her shoulder, and then she turned to address us, "Percy! You didn't tell me you were bringing company!" The woman (who I'm guessing is Percy's mom) pulled him into a bone-crushing hug causing his face to turn an even darker shade of red than I thought humanly possible. Thalia and I smirked at him and he knew immediately that he would never _ever _live this one down. After nearly suffocating her son she quickly greeted Thalia and gave her a hug. When she got to me she smiled mischievously, "Now, who is this young lady, Percy?"

He scratched the back of his head; his face was still a little red from his mom's hug and Thalia's comment. "Mom, that's Annabeth," he said but quickly added in, "she's my friend."

"Ah, I see," she shot a glance at Percy that I didn't quite catch but whatever it was, it made Thalia snicker. Then Percy's mom turned her attention back to me and held out her hand for me to shake, "Annabeth it is a pleasure to meet you."

I returned her warm smile and shook her hand, "It's nice to meet you too Mrs. Jackson."

"Oh please, call me Sally." She threw me a knowing glance and whispered to me, "I think we'll be getting to know each other quite well."

**How was it? Good, bad, ugly? Review please and tell me what you thought! Also, a BIG thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed, alerted, favorited, and all that good stuff! I promise I'll update quicker (if I don't update quick assume I'm out saving the world)!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, my schedule looks pretty clean for this week, but next week I'm going to be gone all week saving the inhabitants of the Florida-Georgia area.**

**1) I'm absolutely positively positive that I 100% do not own Percy Jackson... Annabeth does (saw that somewhere and thought, Hey!)**

**2) This is a very long sort of filler chapter, but trust me it heats up in the next chapter**

**3) To recap: clean area-saving, filler chapters and such nonsense... READ!**

**Chapter 5:**

After sixteen grueling years of dealing with dyslexia and ADHD I finally found something that impaired my learning abilities far beyond that of any disability. This "something" happened to be in every single one of my classes for the past two years. She was tall, approximately 5' 9'', she had pure, golden hair that was usually tucked up in a high pony tail with the occasional strands that fell down into her face, and her eyes- don't even get me started- they were grey. But "grey" doesn't even begin to capture what they really are. One moment they're the silvery calm before the storm and the next they're a swirling, churning mass of deep grey turning into a full blown hurricane. When had an excellent idea her eyes sparkled like the shiny silver bracelet she wore on her small wrist (her left wrist to be exact). Her laugh was far better than anything Beethoven could've ever concocted. Her smile made my heart flip and twist like a world renowned gymnast. Now I know what you're thinking: man, this guy's a serious stalker. But hey, it's not my fault my cousin's best friend just so happens to be Miss America!

I pondered all this as I drug my lazy butt out of bed and staggered over to my closet. Well, that was a lie. A bold-faced one at that; I pretty much "pondered" her all the time. I smiled a little at myself for being so stupid. Sure she's been my best friend pretty much since she moved here a year ago but there's absolutely no way she'd ever think about me like that. Before I had always thought of her as my friend and nothing more but towards the end of this year I started to see her a little differently. The way she- ugh, I'm ranting again, aren't I?

We had about ten days left in our sophomore year now. I smiled again at the thoughts of another summer spent hanging around with Thalia, Annabeth, and the rest of the gang. I was still sort of hazy from just recently waking up when my mother called from the kitchen, "Percy, if you don't hurry up your going to miss school!"

I rolled my eyes, _Who cares?_

"Not to mention: _blue _pancakes!"

_Heeeeeeeck yeah! Gonna get my pancake on! _I flung pairs of dirty jeans aside until I found a clean pair (using the always reliable "If-It-Smells-Okay-It's-Clean" method). I pretty much jumped into them and rifled through my drawers until I found a green t-shirt that had the words, "What did one ocean say to the other?" in white print on the front, while on the back it said, "Nothing, they waved." Under the text on the back it had a picture of two waves with smiley faces sort of waving at each other. I smiled yet again at myself while thing, _Man, I'm corny. _I hopped on my right foot while putting my shoe on my left foot. After I had successfully tied my shoe (please, no applause is necessary) I switched to hopping on my left foot to put on my right shoe when I stumbled out of the opened door out into the opened hall/living room of our apartment. I rolled across the floor but eventually came to a halt springing up with both shoes tied. I bolted for the kitchen and nearly tackled my mom for the pancakes. Now, I know what you're thinking: his mom's pancakes can't possibly be that good, can they? But, I'm here to tell you: they sure as heck can!

Before I could maul the pancakes my mom put her arm out in front of me, "Well, good morning to you too! Why the rush all of a sudden Percy?"

I looked at her with pleading eyes and whined one word, "Pancakes."

She rolled her eyes (why does everyone do that?), "Fine, but isn't there something you should say before you slam your face into the pancakes?"

"Uh… oh yeah: you're the greatest mommy in the history of the world!" I smiled a sincere smile and added, "Percy has pancakes now?"

"Yes, Percy, you can _have_ your pancakes now," she sort of ruffled my already way too messy hair and moved out of my path to the heavenly, blue pancakes. I plowed the pancakes, but being the gentleman I am, I left two for mom and Paul.

She crossed her arms and frowned slightly at the lack of pancakes remaining and I smirked sheepishly, "Sorry, mom got to go to school! Bye!" I grabbed my backpack and darted out of the door, sprinted down the hall, hurdled the stairs and stumbled out the door of our apartment complex while waving to our door man, whose name I can't remember to save my life. For some reason every time I ate those darn pancakes they gave me a crazily optimistic outlook on life. Like I could ride through Manhattan on my jet black Pegasus with Annabeth waving around a bronze sword; you know that kind of crazy stuff that had no chance of ever happening in real life.

I took in a deep breath of carbon monoxide (at least, that's what Annabeth calls it) and jogged out into the busy sidewalks of New York City. I was looking around not paying any attention when- _WHAM!_

I smashed right into someone. My backpack flew out of my hand and I rubbed the back of my head as I pulled myself up off the pavement to the sound of someone… _laughing? _Yes, laughing hysterically. Then I recognized the laughing. It was my (duh duh dun) evil cousin: Thalia! My vision was slightly blurred but when it came back into focus I saw Thalia sprawled out on the ground laughing and Annabeth struggling to collect all of her stuff off the ground. I scratched my head for a little bit until I put the pieces together: I had knocked Annabeth over and Thalia was laughing at me for being so clumsy and clueless. I quickly dove on the ground and scrambled to pick up _every single one _of Annabeth's papers. I felt my face go red as I handed her the papers, "Uh… I bumped into you, sorry, it's all my fault. I should've been paying attention to-,"

Annabeth put her hand over my mouth, "Percy, you're rambling."

"Sohry," I said but it came out muffled because of her hand.

She laughed and took her hand off my mouth, "Percy, you're _way _too nice." Then her brow furrowed in thought and she added, "Did you eat pancakes this morning?"

"Yeah," I scratched the back of my head a little. _Did she read my mind or something?_

"Hm… that's what I thought. Your mother seems to think it's funny to get you all jacked up on pancakes."

I smiled sheepishly (for the second time that morning) and picked up my backpack off the concrete. I put my free hand in my pocket and took in her appearance. Her hair was up in its usual ponytail but a few strands had already begun the decent from her up-do to her face, she had on a red t-shirt that said, "Birds of a feather flock together…" on the front with a picture of three cartoon birds (an owl, an eagle, and a seagull) standing together with their wings around each other while on the back it read, "… and crap on your car," with a picture of the three birds flying over a cartoon car with a man leaning out the window shaking his fist at them as they pooped on his recently washed cartoon car, she wore the same slightly grass stained at the knee jeans that she had worn when we had all went on a picnic in Central Park last summer, and she had on the same worn down sneakers she'd had since she moved here from California. I saw the glint of her silver bracelet in the sunlight as she stuffed her papers and things back into her backpack. Then out of nowhere someone tackled me from behind.

"Good morning to you too, Thalia," I managed to get out as she clung to my back like a bull rider on a super pissed bull.

"Isn't it a great day to be alive, cousin?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and looked Annabeth in the eye, "What the hell did you do to Thalia?"

She grinned fiendishly, "Oh, nothing."

"No, seriously, what did you do?" I looked up at Thalia worriedly. "She's not on meth or anything, right?"

Annabeth laughed that angelic laugh of hers and said, "I was only kidding, Perce. She's fine as far as I know."

"Uh-huh," I muttered, unconvinced.

Thalia hopped off my back energetically and I got a good look at her. Her straight jet-black hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she had on a black t-shirt that read, "A friend in need is a pest indeed," with a cartoon of two friends that looked kind of like me and Annabeth next to an equal sign that was next to a group of animals that were known to be pests (mice, raccoons, etc.).

I looked over at Annabeth who was walking beside me, she returned my gaze and we both knew then and there that this was going to be a _very _long day.

* * *

><p>Parking lot, doors, hallway, locker, bell, homeroom, and so on until we finally reached lunch hour; I sat my tray down at our usual table and waited for my friends. Grover plopped down across from me with Nico on one side and Jason on the other. Leo sat next to Jason, Thalia filled in the seat left between Leo and I, Piper took the seat across from Jason and beside Nico while Annabeth filled in the remaining seat next to me. Grover wore a light green t-shirt that depicted a metal pop can yelling, "RECYCLE ME, NOW!" Jason wore a plain purple shirt. He didn't look particularly happy with the seating arrangements; seeing as Piper was sitting next to Nico and not him. Leo simply smirked mischievously because he had no idea whatsoever about what was going on (although he was probably thinking about a dumb, but funny, joke to tell). He just sat there in his orange t-shirt with writing that said, "If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you'll have trouble putting on your pants," in black writing with a cartoon of a man struggling to put on a pair of pants because he couldn't move his legs. Thalia looked pretty oblivious and cheerful (which is <em>not<em>, I repeat, _not _normal at all). Annabeth was looking at someone from another table.

I followed her gaze over to… crap. Luke Castellan, that's who she was looking at, he was a "charming" junior who just so happened to be the Quarterback for Goode's Varsity football team. My heart stopped and pretty much busted into 50 billion pieces. How could I compete with him? Sure I was the captain of our swim team, but I wasn't near as (as much as I hate to admit it) cool as he was. I saw him attempt to toss a piece of trash into the trash can but the piece of trash rimmed out and landed on the ground. All his buddies laughed and howled at him causing a big scene. That's when Annabeth stood up. We all looked at her like she'd pretty much gone insane, but well… we were all kind of insane in our own way.

I watched as she marched bravely up to the "Gorilla Gang" as I'd heard them called before and stood by the piece of trash on the ground. "Excuse me, Luke is it?"

"Yeah, that's me. You want an autograph, sweetheart?" He attempted to flirt with her but she wrinkled her nose. Thalia put a hand on my shoulder; I must've looked like I wanted to kill someone because of the looks my friends were giving me.

"I was just wondering if you were going to pick that piece of trash you just threw in the floor up."

"Ha, let's see, how 'bout you pick it up for me and you can get that autograph for free, baby?" _Baby? _Alright, that's it, I'm killing him. I stood up and waltzed over to where Luke and Annabeth were currently arguing heatedly about who was to pick up the piece of trash _he _threw on the floor. I pushed through the ring of steroid using punks that had formed around her and stood beside her; she shot me a thankful glance and I gave her a what-in-the-hell-where-you-thinking glance. "Well, well, well, if it isn't more Sophmeat. _Perseus _Jackson, I don't suppose you came for an autograph," he sneered menacingly but I just kept calm and carefully watched all of them, afraid one would lunge at any moment. "Heh, probably here to defend your little _girlfriend, _eh?"

I could tell that both mine and Annabeth's faces were red but I stood my ground, "Luke, can you just stop being an ass long enough to pick up that trash? Seriously, maybe people might actually like you if your head wasn't up your butt all the time."

He stepped closer to me, so close I could smell his breath, "I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that, Jackson."

I waved a hand in front of my face and wrinkled my nose, "Buddy, ever heard of Tictacs? Your breath is rancid."

For a second I thought he would pop a vein he was so angry, "You're going to regret being born you son of a-,"

"Don't. Talk. About. My. Mom." Even Annabeth looked scared when I had (I hadn't even really known I'd done it at the time) instinctively grabbed Luke by the throat. My vision went red and I'd hit him with my knee in a spot that _really, really _hurts. He sank to his knees covering up that area and the sea of dumb gorilla men parted allowing Annabeth and I to return to our table and finish lunch. Before I got to the table I watched as Mr. High And Mighty crawled over to the piece of trash next to the garbage can and put it in with a little effort. When I finally got to the table I sat down and turned to Annabeth who was sitting on my right hand side, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." She gave me a smug grin and punched me in the arm lightly, "Remind me to never piss you off."

**I feel like I'm your buddy waiting outside the dentist's office waiting for you in the waiting room when I ask, "Well, how'd it go?" Also, I would just like to clarify that: beans. Oh yeah I almost forgot: I don't own Tictacs. By the way a HUGELY BIG thanks goes out to all you beautifully, wonderful people who read, reviewed, alerted, and all that good stuff! Review please so that I can know whats going on in your head when you read this!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6! From here on out stuff gets pretty darn crazy so hold on to your laptops/desktops/whatever device your on (wouldn't hurt to tie your shoes first too).**

**1) Riordan owns all but the plot to this story! Also, all rights go to Marvel for Thor and the Avengers!**

**2) To recap: crazy shoes, Mr. Riordan! ... READ... please?**

**Chapter 6:**

I fell out of the double doors and tumbled to a halt on the concrete sidewalk in front of Goode High School. I lay sprawled out silently praying that no one would step on me, but of course no one up there was on my side. Nico came barreling out of the doors and tripped over me sending him flying into the parking lot. Grover soon followed suit and we all were probably thinking the exact same thing: _Luke is really going to kill us this time. _It had only been a week since I had stood up to him and well… it was Nico's idea! He wanted to get Luke again because in Nico's words, "It's funny when he's pissed off." So we filled the inside of his locker with curdled milk and for good measure we painted it with crunchy peanut butter. The Stoll's had said it was a prank worthy of their attention and that next time they wanted in. I don't know why I listened to that idiot. He was like, "Aw c'mon, Perce! You can take that guy!" The fact of the matter is: I can take Luke no problem. It's the rest of the football team I'm worried about.

I shook my head knowing Thalia's distraction wouldn't last long and if we waited here any longer, we'd be dead "Sophmeat". I drug myself up off the ground and made a break for Nico and Grover. I grabbed Nico by his black t-shirt with the words, "Some days you're the dog…" on the front with a picture of a cartoon dog and the words, "… and some days you're the hydrant," on the back with a picture of a hydrant with a little puddle of yellow liquid next to it and hauled him to his feet. "Go!" I shouted into his ear and he stumbled a little and took off. Next, I made a bee-line to save Grover's life. I heard the doors of the school fly open with a loud _bang! _followed by lots of loud cussing, and yelling. My eyes were probably really wide as I flung Grover over my shoulder firefighter style and ran like my life depended on it (and it probably did).

"Percy, what the he-,"

"Grover, shut up this is a life or death situation!"

"But, Per-,"

"Grover!"

"Percy, I can run!"

"Oh… yeah, got it…" I pretty much dropped Grover and continued my mad dash to my apartment. I got to the end of the parking lot when I spotted a large tree. I dove behind it and quickly scaled it to get an aerial view of our pursuers (fancy words, eh? Are you impressed?). I hid behind a larger branch and was able to peak my head around to see Luke and his gang of unruly thugs streak across the parking lot in hot pursuit. What I did next was pretty much what any idiot would've done: I jumped down from the security of my tree and yelled at the charging pack of mammoths. They changed course almost immediately and charged in my direction.

"JACKSON, YOU'RE DEAD!"

_Well, shit. _It was weird: for some reason I was totally cool with a bunch of 7 foot tall 400 pound monster truck teenagers stampeding towards me. I stood completely still and waited for them to swarm around me. Soon I was corralled. No turning back, this was the end. All of them formed a tight circle around me, for some reason unknown to me I thought this was funny and smirked. Luke swaggered (I'm not saying he has swag, it was just the manner in which he was walking) up to me and tilted his head down a little to look down at me. He was about an inch taller than me, had a slight weight advantage, and not to mention the roughly 30 other goons he had at his disposal. Needless to say: I was screwed.

He chuckled. "If it isn't the Pokey Little Puppy," he began to pace around me, probably sizing me up. "Some friends you've got. _Friends_, may be too strong a term for your little band of misfits, they've pretty much hung you out to dry, haven't they Jackson? Two emos, a tree hugger, two preps, a Mexican, and… wasn't there another one? Oh yeah, I remember, your little _girlfriend._ What was her name again? Annemarie? Annabelle?"

I smiled a little, _have I completely lost my mind? This is definitely not the Percy I know… _I even laughed, "Ha, and what do you call your gang of empty headed thugs? The Happy Sunshine Club would be my first guess. What with all the smiling and steroids here I feel like I could fart rainbows!"

"Do you have a death wish?" Luke snarled in my face.

I burst out in hysterical laughter, "You… idiots… couldn't… possibly kill me." I wiped a small tear that had formed in my eye away as Luke continued to give me what I think was supposed to be "The Staredown".

He quickly grabbed the collar of my navy, "Why So Crabby?" t-shirt that had a picture of a cartoon crab shrugging and hoisted me up. "Time to die, Jackson," his response was slightly muffled because of his gritted teeth.

"Really? It's that time already? I was going to guess at about 3:45," his grip tightened and I did the first thing that popped into my head (thank you ADHD) and kicked him in the shins. He yelped in pain and dropped me. He hopped up and down on his left foot while holding his right shin exactly where I had delivered a powerful kick that only came from 13 years of swimming. I dusted my hands off and looked around at the assembled crowd, "Is that it? My parents are expecting me to be home around 5:00 so I really should be going." I turned and parted the wall of dazed members of the Happy Sunshine Club. Once I broke through I noticed that the parking lot was completely empty and silent (apart from Luke's cussing). I scanned the area for Thalia and Annabeth. I finally gave up after coming up empty on my search.

I began my walk home when I heard a familiar voice call my name, "Percy!" I turned to see a blonde blur tackle me into a hug, shortly followed by a black blur. The blonde, who I immediately recognized as Annabeth, pulled away (much to my dissatisfaction) and gave me a glare that made me want to crawl in a hole and die. "You idiot! You could've gotten yourself killed! Thalia and I almost called the cops!"

"Aw, c'mon Annabeth, I'm a big boy, I can handle myself."

She rolled her eyes (see what I mean?), "Just… don't do that again."

I furrowed my eyebrows, she sounded worried, "Worried Wise Girl?"

"No," she looked away and wouldn't meet my eyes when I'd asked her. Call me dense, dumb, clumsy, stupid, and clueless but I know when something's wrong.

I didn't want to call her out in front of Thalia so I just changed the subject as we began our long walk home, "My Mom and Paul are going out tonight. They told me I could invite two _responsible _friends over to hang out. And well, seeing as you two are the only ones my Mom deems responsible (well, she just deems Annabeth responsible but their kind of a two for the price of one deal)…"

"She wants us to come and hang out because Nico, Grover, and Jason would tear the apartment down," Annabeth finished for me.

I kicked at a rock, "Pretty much, yeah."

Thalia laughed, "Your mom's awesome."

"I don't know what I'd do without her," I smiled thoughtfully; my Mom was pretty much my world.

* * *

><p>An hour later we were lounging around on the couch watching <em>Thor <em>(Thalia wanted to watch all the individual superhero movies before we watched the _Avengers) _when my Mom and Paul came in to give us the usual spiel. Although, most of it was directed to Annabeth because she was the most responsible; the part of it I actually listened to went a bit like this: "… Mine and Paul's numbers are on the-,"

"Fridge, unless you've moved them," she finished Mom's sentence for her.

"No they haven't been touched. The numbers for-,"

"'The hospital, police department, Mr. Brunner, and the school are also on the fridge,'" she recited it all from memory.

Paul smiled and put a hand on Mom's shoulder, "Sally, honey I believe we're leaving Percy in good hands."

Mom nodded and pointed at Thalia and I, "Be good you two."

I stood up, crossed the room and hugged my Mom tightly, "Don't worry Mom, Annabeth's the best babysitter in the world."

She smiled and returned my hug, "I know. I love you; be safe and don't do anything stupid."

"Love you too Mom. Have fun you guys," I waved at Paul and my Mom as I ushered them out the door. After I shut the door I charged back into the living room and jumped over the couch landing in the small space between Thalia and Annabeth. I put my arms around both of them and spread myself out as far as I could and tried to be as obnoxious as humanly possible. "So guys," I said so loud that if we were at the movies everyone would've been giving me ill looks, "what'd I miss?"

"Get your big butt off me!" Thalia shoved me onto Annabeth, who shot Thalia a look I didn't quite understand.

"He's your cousin!" Annabeth struggled to shove me back onto Thalia.

"Yeah? Well he's your idiot," back to Annabeth.

"What? Thalia, that doesn't even make any sense," back to Thalia.

"Yes it does! Every ridiculously smart person needs a ridiculously dumb person," back to Annabeth.

Finally, I decided to intervene, "Can I just stay here?"

"Percy and Annabeth sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-," at that point I shoved my foot in Thalia's mouth.

"I'll just sit in the floor," Annabeth said about to move when I stopped her (well she really wasn't going to move anywhere anyway because I was sitting on her).

"No, absolutely not, you're the guest. If anyone's going to sit in the floor, it'll be me," feeling that I had won the argument I slid off the couch and onto the carpeted floor in front of the couch. Seeing that I was sitting in the floor in front of her Annabeth saw this as the perfect opportunity to use my head as a foot-rest. I looked behind me to see Annabeth smiling devilishly, "Guest, your pushing it."

She laughed which pretty much ruined my effort to look stern, "Host, I know what I'm doing."

I rolled my eyes, "When do you not?"

* * *

><p>I opened my eyes groggily to the sound of the phone ringing. I'm pretty sure I'd passed out somewhere in the middle of the movie, Annabeth and Thalia didn't even make it half way. When my eyes lost their blurriness I realized that my forehead was touching Annabeth's. She was curled up on her side with her head resting against the arm-rest on the couch; my head had been tilted back against the cushions. When she opened her beautifully deep, grey eyes and blinked away the sleep her face went red. I'm pretty sure mine were already red, if not redder because she had just caught me in the act of staring. Then I remembered: phone. <em>Eh, probably just Mom calling to check up on us… <em> I started to pull myself up, but Annabeth beat me to it and sprang up out of the couch.

She picked up the phone with a, "Hello?" She nodded her head for a while until her eyes went wide in shock and she nearly dropped the phone. Tears filled her eyes. I immediately jumped out of my seat on the floor and rushed over to her.

"Annabeth? Annabeth, what's wrong?"

She shook her head slightly and stuttered out, "P-Percy."

"Annabeth, I'm here what is it?" I tried to calm myself and spoke in a soft voice.

"Annabeth? Percy? What the hell are you guys…?" Thalia sat up sleepily looking as if she'd just turned back into a human after having been a tree for about six years (I don't really know that one from experience but I'm guessing that's what she would've looked like given the circumstances).

Both Annabeth and I ignored Thalia and went back to the task at hand. Annabeth looked up at me as a tear leaked down her cheek, "Percy, your mom and Paul… the hospital called. They were in a car accident, the doctor said that-that they're in c-critical condition." My eyes widened and my heart sank. For me, the next hour would just be a total blur.

**Well would you look at that? I snuck a cliffhanger in there! Silly me! Enough about me, let's talk about you and how you're going to review this chapter... right? Oh and a Texas-sized THANK YOU goes out to everyone who read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited this or any other one of my stories!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Well, friends, I hate to say it but: this is the last chapter until I'm back in a week from vacation (or world saving whichever you prefer).**

**1) Dish cleaner (I mean disclaimer): I don't own PJatO! Nor do I own hospitals... just throwing it out there.**

**2) To recap: ... forget it, just READ!**

**Chapter 7:**

Time itself seemed to slow down. I dropped the phone and all of us (minus Thalia because quite frankly she had no clue what was going on) were on the verge of tears. Sally had been like a mother to me and she _was _Percy's mom. Percy stumbled forward and leaned on me for support. He shook his head and stared at the carpeted floor, trying desperately to hold in tears. He looked up at me with urgency in his eyes and I nodded. Thalia had charged over to where we were standing. "If one of you doesn't tell me what in the hell is going on-,"

"Thalia, go put your shoes on," I said it with a firmness in my voice that I never knew I had. I turned and took both of Percy's hands in mine gripping them tightly, "Percy, your mom is tough. She'll make it through this. Go put on your shoes, we'll go to the hospital and check up on her, she'll be fine." He looked down at our hands and nodded solemnly. I let go of him and proceeded to put on my shoes. Once I had slipped my shoes on Percy already had his wallet and dashed out the door. I chased after him in pursuit and Thalia followed behind us cussing like a sailor at every step on our way down the four flights of stairs. People jumped out of our way as we practically flew down the stairs.

We leaped the last few stairs and bounded across the lobby when the doorman called out, "Percy, boy where's the fire?"

"Not now Mr. -God, I can never remember your name!" He yelled this over his shoulder as he flung the double doors open and we sprinted out the door and down the stairs to the sidewalk. We stood there panting on the sidewalk as Percy waved his arms, whistled, jumped up and down sporadically, and did pretty much anything to try and get a cab driver's attention. The amount of frustration in his eyes shocked me so much that when he looked me in the eyes I gasped. Percy looked about ready to run into the middle of the road and throw himself out in front of a taxi in order to stop when (thank God) one stopped. He pulled up beside us and Percy dove into the backseat with Thalia and I close behind (in that order: Thalia in the middle, me near the window). "Hospital. Hurry," Percy practically yelled at the man while nervously running a hand through his hair.

In the silence that followed I looked down at my t-shirt **(A/N: Sorry I couldn't help it), **the front was a picture of a grassy meadow with strands of leafy-green grass that had to be at least knee height. In the middle of the meadow were two younger looking adults (21-22 years old… or something like that) holding hands; the boy had shaggy, ebony black hair and wore jeans and a simple navy button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows casually while the girl had curly, pure golden hair that cascaded down her back to her bright yellow sundress. Their backs were turned so that you could only see what they looked like from behind. The sun shone down brightly on them near black text that floated lazily in the clouds, "A day without sunshine is like..." the saying carried on to the back where the shirt was split along the sleeves: half of the shirt bright and sunny and half of it black as night. On the back the couple was now lying down on their backs in the grass while the blonde pointed at either the sparkling full moon or the shiny stars that hung in the cloudless night. Next to the moon was the rest of the phrase in white text, "… night."

I noticed Thalia looking from me to Percy and repeating the process a couple of times before she broke the silence, "Would one of you _please _tell me-."

"Thalia!" Percy and I both shouted it at the same time, like we had read each other's minds. Thalia simply raised her hands in defeat and leaned back in her seat. I heard her mutter something about "damned hormones" before the taxi lurched to a stop in the middle of typical New York traffic. I turned my gaze to Percy to see that his knuckles had gone white from gripping the arm-rest. It looked as if he could tear it off and fling the taxi door to Mexico. Without even really knowing what I was doing I reached over across Thalia and took his other hand. He looked at me, confused at first, but then he did something that threw me completely off guard: he smiled. I smiled back at him, not a happy smile but a grim we'll-get-through-this-together-I-promise smile.

Thalia looked down at our joined hands. She rolled her eyes, "I knew I was going to regret sitting between the love b-."

"Thalia!" We once again stopped her mid sentence.

"Guys, I'm really getting tired of-,"

"Thalia!"

"Percy, Annab-,"

"Thalia!"

"Seriousl-,"

"Thalia!"

"God da-,"

"Thalia!" I wiggled my free finger at her in shame, "That's not very nice language to use around an excellent cab driver like-," I looked over at his name tag, "Danielle?"

He looked disapprovingly at us as we tried our best to hold in our laughter. "Danielle" spoke in a rough, surprisingly deep voice, "Its pronounced Daniel."

Thalia laughed hysterically at me, "Jeez Annabeth, you're so immatur-."

"Thalia!"

"Shit."

**Sorry, I know it wasn't what you were expecting but hey- that's what chapter 8 is for! Am I right? Of course not; I mean look at me answering my own questions! So anyways what I want you to do next is a very sacred ritual that requires- you know what? Just click the review button and tell me how horribly great this chapter was! No, I'm kidding, just give me your opinion is all I ask. Also, many many many thanks goes out to all of you guys who read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited my stories! Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want to (I'll probably check my phone for updates and messages next week)! **

**PS: If this sounds crappy bare in mind it was written at 12:16 AM... **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey I'm back, aaand I managed to save the world and post a chapter not two days after I got back! Are you guys lucky or what? Wow talk about a big ego... **

**1) This right hea is my disclaima: I don't own PJatO!**

**2) It seems as though I've run out of things to- MANATEE! ... Never fails... read! **

**Chapter 8:**

In the taxi none of us acted like this was real. We joked, made fun of each other, chatted, and did virtually anything to get the seriousness of the matter out of our heads. But the closer we got to the hospital, the more the gravity of the situation weighed down on me; weighed down on Percy. Heck, it even began to weigh down on our cab driver and Thalia who both had no idea what was going on. Finally Danielle's curiosity won him over. "Now, generally, I make it a point to not ask my customers why they going where they going. _Especially _when my customers are three troublesome teenage kids who look like they up to no good going to the hospital at eleven o'clock at night," he spoke in a gruff, yet oddly kind, Northern accent. I also noticed that he was eyeing us suspiciously with his wide chocolate brown eyes that seemed to shift from dark brown to light brown with the lighting in the car. His head must've been shaved because I couldn't see any hair peeking out from under his navy-blue Yankees hat, and he didn't look nearly old enough for his hair to have already fallen out.

"Sir," I began in my most responsible good-kid voice, "it's a family emergency. His mom and dad were in a car accident and we're going to the hospital to check up on them and make sure they're doing okay."

He nodded his head in grim understanding, "Yeah, jeez I'm sorry about that."

Thalia's electric blue eyes went wide. "A-Aunt S-Sally's… hurt?"

I nodded, looking Thalia in the eye. She rubbed her forehead a little and looked frustrated. None of us spoke as the rest of the taxi ride drug on until finally, we pulled up to the hospital. The hospital was a humongous white beacon in the black night, with its giant red cross stacked on top of one of the many large rectangular complexes which sides were filled with a grid of windows that signified different rooms and labs. The words "Chuck Norris's Memorial Hospital of Pain" were emblazoned in white neon text that stretched across the horizontal bar in the cross. We all began to pile out of the car when Danielle rolled down his window for Percy to pay him.

I walked over to stop Percy, "Here, I've got it. You and Thalia go on in."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "No, Annabeth I've got it."

"No."

"Wise Girl, please-,"

"Don't 'Wise Girl' me-,"

"Hey! You two, don't worry about it. Just go in and check on your mom, this one's on me," Danielle had his hands raised above his head like he really couldn't take another second of our "senseless" teenage bickering. I figured any second he'd pull a Thalia and start mumbling about our "damned hormones". But before I could hear his muttering he pulled off with a screech and zoomed back to the busy streets of New York City.

I turned my attention back to Thalia and Percy… well, mostly Percy (as much as I hate to admit it). His hair was mussed up even more than usual and his green eyes were void of the eternal-optimist sparkle they usually carried. They churned and swelled with newborn determination, the not-too-light-not-too-dark sea green eyes I had come to know were an unusual dark swirling mass of mixed emotions. His tanned facial features seemed to tighten in raw desperation; his usually lopsided easy-going grin was replaced by a grim sort of half-frown that spread throughout his physical appearance. Even his posture represented the jaggedness that ripped through his body. I put a hand on his shoulder to which he tensed at, met his gaze and nodded a curt let's-do-this-thing nod. He returned it appreciatively and ran with me as we headed toward the doors to the sector off to the side of the enormous complex that said in big bold, red letters "EMERGENCY".

Thalia kicked a rock and looked up just in time to see us leaving her in the parking lot, "Hey! Where are you guys- oh… never mind! … Stupid ADHD…"

Percy burst through the doors of the emergency room with me hot on his trail. Thalia stumbled in behind us throwing me head first into Percy who stumbled but caught himself before he ended up on the pristinely sterile white tile floors. He whipped around at an alarming speed and glared at Thalia and me until he realized what he was doing. His gaze softened immediately and I gave him a mixture of an amending and questioning glance as I swept past him toward the front desk. I dodged swarms frantic nurses, doctors, surgeons, and patients as I dashed across the highway of a hallway in front of the clerk's desk. Once across the treacherous river of chaos I stepped up to the desk. I cleared my throat and spoke in the most polite voice I could muster among the turmoil, "Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Mhmm," she said it without pausing to look up from her computer screen. She was an older looking African American woman with knowing, warm brown eyes that surfaced memories that would make me go into feeble position in the middle of the waiting room and cry. But they weren't just knowing eyes they were somewhat soulful, like she could take on the world even at her age. Her mouth was a thin line with laugh lines decorated around it making her serious expression seem odd and out of place, she had granny-style reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, and she had the build of a wiry street smart woman. Her look was topped off with a thick mop of deep brown- almost black- hair with thick streaks of gray layered in that made her look wise and knowledgeable. I respected that.

Without knowing it, Percy and Thalia had joined me. Percy cleared his throat behind me to let me know that he was there and he stepped forward putting his hands on the desk, "Ma'am, my name is Percy Jackson. I'm here to see Sally and Paul Blofis. They're my parents."

"_Our _parents," Thalia corrected Percy and gave him a glance that said where-are-your-street-smarts-Jackson? He replied with a shrug and a glance that said uh-I-left-them-at-home?

She looked over her glasses at the three of us. "Docta Gitwell is expectin' you," she spoke in a rich Southern accent that complimented the soulful deepness of her eyes. "Now, wutch you wanna do is walk down this hall right hea," she took a long bony finger and pointed toward the hallway on her left, our right. "Then you gon go down that hall a ways til you come up on a hall that leads to your right. Then after that you just head right on down to room 119 on the left side of that hall and that's where y'all gon find your momma and daddy."

"Thank you very much, ma'am," I nodded and smiled my thanks to her.

"No problem, y'all take care now," she waved at us as we weaved our way through the throng of people heading down the same hall we were. Thalia dove headfirst into the flowing stream of people plowing through various doctors with Percy and me at the rear apologizing to those doctors. Once we turned right off the main hallway the traffic wasn't so bad. The hallway was more dimly lit than the main one and only a few people milled around. I tried to look through some of the windows as we passed them but could only get glimpses of clothing or backs. At the far end of the hall I noticed a nurse exit a room and lean up against the wall next to the door that she had just come from; she shook her head slightly and wiped what must have been tears from her eyes. Percy took the lead and strode up to her.

"Excuse me ma'am, do you know where room-," his mouth fell open mid-sentence and he lost the ability to form words. I followed his gaze to the door clearly marked with black text against the white door, "119".

Thalia looked expectantly at Percy, "You going to open the door or are we going to stand out here in this hallway all day?"

He heaved a sigh and turned the handle 90 degrees to the left and burst into the room.

The only thing that came to my mind as I looked at Sally's condition was that I hoped I would never see a person that broken again. But my selfish hopes meant next to nothing because I would see someone more broken than Sally could've ever managed; just not in the same way. I would see someone who had lost everything fight to stay alive in a world where next to no one cared whether or not they lived or died.

If you thought this was my story then you're _dead _wrong.

**I've come across an amazing discovery! There is a fanfiction for literally EVERYTHING! I'm talking movies, cartoons, plays, even Anime and Manga (didn't know what that was until just recently). Maybe I'm just dumb for not realizing that earlier? Or am I lazy for not checking it out earlier? Either way review and tell me what you though of this chapter. Any and all feedback is HIGHLY appreciated! A humongous THANK YOU BERRY BERRY MUCH goes out to everyone who red, reviewed, alerted, and all that other good stuff that I can't really think of the name of but it still "berry" important! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Good morning, good evening, and good night to everyone around the world! It's KeeponReadin back again bringing you Chapter 9!**

**1.) I don't own PJatO... if you'll go look at all 8 of my previous chapters you'll notice a trend...**

**2.) Right now I'm kind of to the point where I'm just randomly working on Family Game Night and Get Back Up back and forth.**

**3.) Alright well all I have left to say is...(wait for it)... READ!**

**Chapter 9:**

I could feel the tears searing holes through my sea green eyes as I held onto my mother's cold, dead hand. Gone. That's how life is. One minute you're shooing your mom and step-dad out to their date and the next you're nearly crying at their death beds. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt the tap of fingers on my shoulder. I turned my head to the side a little to see a nurse in light blue scrubs looking down at me with watery eyes. She spoke in a little less than a whisper, "Y-your Percy right?" I nodded. "Your mother was a smart woman. She knew that she wasn't going to last long. While she was in critical condition she was awake long enough to-to tell me to write a letter for her. The letter is for you. She said that the information in it was for you only, but that you could do with it as you saw fit. From what I understand, Percy Jackson, your mother loved you very much." The nurse handed me the folded up paper that concealed my mother's last few minutes of life.

I folded it one more time, stuck it in my back pocket and stood. I put my face in my palms as I felt the tears near spilling point. I had to get out of here. I needed space and fresh air to clear my clouded mind. I looked at anything but Annabeth and Thalia as I charged out of the door. The last thing I wanted was for Annabeth and Thalia to see me like this. I was usually the tough one that held them together when they were on the verge of breaking. I was the one who sat on the roof of the orphanage at well over 3 A.M and listened to Annabeth bawl her eyes out about how even her relatives refused to take her in no matter what Social Services said. When nobody watched over her and Thalia I did. But now, I was the one who needed saving. The only problem was that I was the tough, cool Percy Jackson who stood up to bullies and punched fear square in the mouth. I would have to pick myself up and move on.

Without even fully knowing what I was doing I had charged through the twisted Labyrinth of a hospital and had burst through the front doors. I stood staring at the lights of New York City in the distance. Eventually, I made my way over to a dark patch of sidewalk on the side of the building. I collapsed on the edge where the concrete met the asphalt and put my head in my hands. I blinked back tears and looked up into the starry sky. "Hey, um I uh… I know I don't talk to you guys up there much but-but right now I need help. I know that you probably already know that my mom was my whole world wrapped up in one person and it-it really hurts to lose her. I know I need to be strong but… it's hard. If you guys could help me out-you know, send me a sign or something that you guys are still looking out for me. Is it too much to ask for another person that'll help me and be with me like my mom was?"

I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh as I heard the hospital door _clang _open. I heard the sound of running footsteps slow until they turned into a sort-of power walk. The steps finally came to a halt next to me. Once I opened my eyes I saw a blackish figure drop down beside me on the sidewalk. The figure looked to be about 5'9'' and female. After further inspection I could make out a curly mess of a ponytail that hung limply behind her as she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in them. The impulse to hug her surged through my body and I was only barely able to control it. Then it hit me: only one person made me feel that way. Somehow without even knowing it Annabeth had found me. I drew my eyebrows together and looked up at the sky. I sent a thought up to them. _What are you guys trying to tell me?_

I cleared my throat and started to speak when a startled Annabeth cut me off, "I'm so sorry sir; I didn't realize you were sitting- wait… Percy?"

I nodded my head a little and looked away. To my surprise, I felt a small, soft hand find its way into mine and even more surprised to hear the words come out of Annabeth's mouth, "Percy, I was wrong. I'm sorry… I-I didn't know that your mother would-I was just trying to reassure you and… I'm sorry." I turned my head to see a seriously flustered Annabeth with tear stains on her pink cheeks. I could see her white puffs of breath that exited her mouth and into the cold, night air. Then a shiver went down her spine and I quickly realized that she must've been really cold in short sleeves. Before _I _even knew what I was doing I'd wrapped my jacket around her. For a brief moment her sparkly, tear-filled gray eyes met mine. "Thank you."

"N-no problem," I cleared my throat again to try to get the nervous cracks out of my voice. "Y-you don't need to be sorry about anything. It-it wasn't anyone's fault. She's gone now and… and that's it," I broke as I finished that sentence and tears leaked out of my eyes. They rolled down my cheeks and fell off my chin as a few more came to replace them. I refused to meet Annabeth's eyes as I cried like a big baby; a big baby who _really_ wanted his mommy back.

Annabeth took her hand out of mine and the temporary warmth that had filled my body left leaving me cold and jacketless. She took my head into her hands and brought my face up to be level with hers. She used her gentle thumbs to wipe the tears out of my eyes as my heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest and run down the street yelling, "Ha sucker! Catch me if you can!" What was left of my crazy brain felt like the grayish-mush-stuff that they sometimes served in our school cafeteria for lunch. I couldn't think straight as she wrapped her arms around my chest and I buried my face into her shoulder. I turned my head to the side a little and whispered into her ear like I had in the elevator the first time Annabeth met my mom, "If you leave me, I'm screwed."

She shivered, "I know. That's why I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you, that means a lot."

Much to my dissatisfaction she pulled away from me, "Percy, you're my best friend, I've always and will forever be here for you."

"No matter what?" I searched her stormy, serious eyes.

"No matter what happens, I'll be right here whether I like it or not."

For the first time tonight, I smiled a devious smile and asked, "So you don't like hugging me?"

Annabeth's face went red, "I never said that."

"Good, because I could really use another," I grinned sheepishly and opened my arms to her.

She shrugged, "You seem fine to me, Seaweed Brain."

I mocked the tone she'd used earlier when I'd attempted to pay the cab fare, "Don't you 'Seaweed Brain' me."

"I'll 'Seaweed Brain' you whenever and wherever I want," she crossed her arms and looked at me superiorly like she'd "won" the argument.

I shrugged, "Sounds good to me. I think it's cute." She raised an eyebrow at me that said flirty-all-of-a-sudden-Seaweed-Brain? "What? Is it "off-limits" to think my best friend's beautiful?"

Annabeth laughed and I swear I could hear angels singing somewhere, "You're crazy."

At least she took it as some kind of joke and didn't get all awkward with me, the last thing I wanted to do was ruin our friendship. "Annabeth, crazy and blind are two different things," I gave her my most sincerely sweet smile and gave her the uh-huh-Wise-Girl-you-know-Percy's-right look. She rolled her eyes at me while I helped her up off the concrete. After dusting herself off Annabeth fell in step with me and shoved my shoulder lightly.

I gave her my easy-going lopsided grin as her eyebrows furrowed in thought. She looked at me like I was a complex puzzle that she was putting together. "So, what's my Wise Girl thinking about now?"

She shook her head a little to clear it, "Nothing."

"I know you. 'Nothing' may have worked a year ago but not now. I have learned the ways of Annabeth Chase's Master Jedi brain!"

She smiled a smile that could melt titanium if concentrated and raised her eyebrow at me, "Not yet you haven't my Padawan. Padawan Percy actually has a pretty good ring to it. Can I call you PP for short?"

I rolled my eyes at her and adjusted my voice to sound like hers. "'Can I call you PP for short?' Of course you can call me PP, for the price of one hug. Heck, I'd let you call me anything for a hug."

"Percy, did you fall and hit your head on the way out here?" Annabeth was beginning to look seriously worried so I let the act drop.

"Nah, I'm fine. Let's go check on Thalia," I led the way for the third time through the crowded, white hallways until I returned to room 119's corridor. There I saw two stretchers covered in pure white cloth rolling down the hall towards us. I stopped for a second and lightly brushed the hands of the bodies of my parents one last time. I turned and watched them leaved until I felt the unmistakable feeling of Annabeth giving my hand a squeeze. It may have seemed like an insignificant gesture at the time but it gave me the power to continue on down the hall to where Thalia sat slumped down with her head in her hands near the door to room 119.

Annabeth brushed past me and slid down the wall next to Thalia, I got her message and quickly followed suit sitting down on Thalia's left in front of the door. Annabeth leaned to her left and put her arm around Thalia's shoulders; I did the same with my right arm but held onto Annabeth's elbow. I felt of the bone with my index finger while my thumb drew small circles on the inside of her elbow. "Hey Thalia, do you remember the time mom let us make cookies?" I smiled a little recalling the colossal mess we'd made.

Thalia turned her electric blue eyes on me with some sort of a mischievous spark in them, "Of course I remember! Who could forget the four hours it took us just to clean the counters?"

"What did mom tell us that day?" I struggled a little bit on the word "mom" and had tightened my grip on Annabeth's elbow.

"That-that she'd hoped that she'd be along long enough to clean up all of our messes," Thalia said it grimly and turned her gaze back to her shoes.

"You know what that means don't you?" She nodded a little. "It means we're going to have to take care of ourselves from now on. It means that from this day on we're a family. Thalia, mom was a remarkably smart woman. She knew that as a team you, me, and Annabeth could-and can-conquer any mess big or small. Our first mess is getting out of this hospital."

Thalia nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for, Little Cousin?"

"You, Big Cousin."

"Hey, watch it with the 'big' comments, Jackson."

"Aw, you don't have to be so touchy I'm just messing with you," Once we all stood I wrestled Thalia into a bear hug.

"Percy, let go or I'll kick you so hard in the balls you-," I covered up her mouth.

"Okay, okay, okay, Thalia. Jeez, no need to be so vulgar there are kids here." I smiled as I pushed her into Annabeth with my shoulder.

"Hey, you keep her she's your cousin!" Annabeth protested as she knocked Thalia back over to me.

"Stop with the flirting you two! Besides, what do I look like to you guys? A ping pong ball?" Thalia held up her hands in annoyance while Annabeth and I blushed.

Once we made our way to the front doors Thalia pushed them open and charged out into the parking lot, going to hail a taxi. Annabeth came up beside me and rested her head on my shoulder in exhaustion. Sadness crept over me as I finally realized that Annabeth doesn't and never will like me as much as I like her. No, scratch that. I love her. I smiled a grim smile down at her and she did something that surprised the absolute hell out of me. She kissed me. Granted it was on the cheek, but it still felt like I'd just dropped a toaster into a bath tub. Electricity surged through me as she spoke in her angelic voice, "You know, Percy Jackson, you might not be so crazy after all."

**I demand to know how terrible that chapter was! ... What're you waiting for? Leave a review already and tell me! Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited my stories or me as an author. I love every single one of you like a fat kid loves cake! **


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